Mike Kraft/MDN Our Redeemer’s senior Brooklynn Roedocker attempts to tip the ball over the block of Surrey’s Ava Keller during a Region 3 semifinal match on Tuesday, Nov. 11, at the Minot Municipal Auditorium.

It’s a new region, but a familiar destination for the Our Redeemer’s volleyball team.

After 14 appearances in the regional championship match and 11 titles as a member of Region 6 from 2003-24, the Knights punched their ticket to the Region 3 championship match in their first season in their new regional home, defeating Surrey in four sets, 25-11, 17-25, 25-23, 25-23.

Our Redeemer’s will play Trenton in the title match, with the winner automatically advancing to next week’s state tournament. The loser will play a state-qualifying match against the third-place winner from Region 4 on Saturday, Nov. 15, at Bismarck St. Mary’s High School.

Not only did the Knights assure themselves two shots at a state-tournament berth if needed, which would be their 12th, they got some revenge in the process. The Mustangs ended their season in the regional semifinals last season in five sets back when each region only sent its champion to the state tournament.

“We’ve just been so excited for this game and when we found out it was going to be Surrey, we just couldn’t ask for a better opponent and a better matchup for the semifinals,” Our Redeemer’s senior Brooklynn Roedocker said.

The match came down to just a couple points in both the third and fourth sets, with the Knights managing to convert when it mattered the most. With the match tied at a set a piece, the Knights found themselves trailing 21-18 in the third. A Surrey shot into the net followed by a shot out of bounds pulled Our Redeemer’s to within a point, and an ace by Noel Pankratz gave the Knights the lead.

“Our Redeemer’s, they showed up,” Surrey coach Michaela Martin said. “They really wanted to win this game and it showed. They played really great offense and really great defense and we just came up short on the defensive end of it.”

The Mustangs rallied to recapture the lead, 23-22, but the Knights won the final three points on kills from Kadyn Braun and Roedocker and an ace from Ellie Streyle to get ORCS a set victory away from a spot in the title match.

“The girls did a really good job limiting the errors on our side,” Our Redeemer’s coach Kara Nunziato said. “I thought we served really assertively and that put us in a lot of positions to take advantage of the free-ball opportunities they gave us tonight.”

Our Redeemer’s had nine aces in the match. Streyle led the team with four and Braun added three.

The Knights achieved that set victory in the fourth, avoiding a fifth-set tiebreaker. Our Redeemer’s led the bulk of the set, with Roedocker and Pankratz leading the offensive attack. Pankratz’s eighth and final kill of the night gave the Knights an 18-14 advantage. Surrey didn’t go quietly, as Mekenzie Neighbors and Khloe Spaulding each had a pair of kills down the stretch to keep the Mustangs within striking distance of grabbing the lead. Neighbors’ sixth kill of the set gave the Mustangs that lead at 22-21 and a block from Ava Keller extended the lead to two. But the Knights again had a response and closed on a 4-0 run to take the set and the match. Roedocker capped off a 19-kill performance on match point.

“We just controlled our game and were really scrappy on our defense and then our front row was able to put the ball away,” Roedocker said. “Everyone just carried their weight on the floor and we worked well as a team.”

The final two sets were closely contested, but the opening set belonged to the Knights from the jump. They raced out to a 12-4 advantage and never relinquished. Grace Olson kept Surrey’s side of the net off guard with a trio of dump shots from the setter position. She also dished out 38 assists.

“Grace has a high volleyball IQ,” Nunziato said. “She just makes really good decisions, not just based on the ball but based on where the other team is set up defensively. I was really impressed with not just her setting but her ability to set up a block. She was against Neighbors for several rotations in that front row.”

The Mustangs were coming off a five-set victory over Kenmare-Bowbells the day before in which they had to battle back from a two-set deficit to keep their season alive. Therefore, it took a bit of time to get their legs underneath them.

“It definitely is a little tough after having to play five sets yesterday and just the mental load it took on the girls,” Martin said. “Definitely felt some of that going into that first set tonight, but they adjusted in the second and played really well in the third and fourth and just happened to come up short in those two sets.”

Surrey returned to form in the second set with Neighbors, Spaulding and Keller leading the way. The trio combined for seven kills and two blocks in the set.

Neighbors finished with a team-high 12 kills. Spaulding recorded eight kills.

The Mustangs play in the third-place match on Thursday, Nov. 13, at 5:30 p.m. against Ray with the winner advancing to a state-qualifier against the runner-up from Region 4. The loser’s season is over.

In an all-District 6 match up, Trenton advanced to the Region 3 championship match with a four-set victory over Ray in the second semifinal of the night, winning 25-16, 18-25, 25-23, 25-20.

The Tigers won all three matches against the Jays this season, winning the regular season matchup in five sets and the District 5 semifinal match in straight sets.

Trenton and Our Redeemer’s met in the Des Lacs-Burlington Tournament on Oct. 4, with the Knights winning both sets, 25-13, 27-25. The Tigers will be seeking their second regional title and second trip to the state tournament.